Brennan & Carr

I had high hopes for this place. Maybe because I had been wanting to visit Brooklyn after seeing the Man vs food episode, I had salivated over the Roast beef served with au jus poured over willy nilly.
My problem wasnt with the food itself. Even the lack of a beer menu wasnt that big an issue (Budweiser? SERIOUSLY?). The sandwich was great, except mine was cold.
The meat was cold. Like refrigerator cold. It wasnt the entire sandwich, just little pockets here and there where the meat didnt get enough warmth from the au jus or whatever they used to reheat the meat; however, that highlights the problem: reheat. Why are they serving me old, precooked meat? What gives?
As for the Budweiser, that was maybe the best macro brew I have ever had. The glass they served it was below subzero, leaving little ice crystals in the beer as I drank. It was amazing.

Best roast beef you’ll ever have. This place is to roast beef what Peter Luger’s is to steak. Make sure you get the broth too.

Came here on a Saturday afternoon. Theres a Parking lot but is pretty small. Dipped Gargiulo burger was pretty good. You should definitely order the onion rings with cheese. The place was not packed but it took about 20 mins to get the check. There was also a lot of small flies hovering over the table which was pretty annoying and unpleasant.

Might have to finally drop this:
Brennan and Carr roast beef over Roll n Roaster roast beef
That was some delicious roast beef (gargulio to be exact). Single dip so it’s not too soggy and hot sauce.

A institution in Brooklyn. You’ll find this restaurant and quick take out roast beef sandwich shop. Things to order and only order are the roast beef sandwich and fries. There’s a take out window which is very convenient. Order up at the window, get your order, and your back on the street. Good service with a smile.
Definitely get the roast beef sandiwich dipped as the au just sauce mixes well with the roast beef and bread roll. Decent size but not overwhelming and along with the fries makes a great meal. The sandwich was spot on. Tender roast beef with lot’s of flavor and the sauce compliments it well. It’s a great sandwich treat when in this area.

Amazing roast beef. This place is a classic spot for all people. It def used to be a lot better when I was a kid.

Went here for dinner Friday night around 6pm. Was surprised to see that it was not very busy. Seated quickly. Ordered a Bud draft and it came in an iced mug. Ordered a Gargiullo burger (burger topped with sliced beef) without onions and double dipped as well as an order of fries.
The sandwich arrived shortly and, while wet was still solid enough so as not to fall apart. Very tasty! The fries were run of the mill (but my favorite type) frozen fries fried crispy.

I’ve always walked by it or seen it when I’m on the bus, but never tried it. Apparently it’s a well known and very old place (since 1938). The food is not as good as what some reviews say it to be. Just some regular and average roast beef sandwich and burger, I’ve had better honestly.
There were no other customers in there when two friends and I walked in. The waiters were all sitting at a table and chatting, the boss (some old man by the cashier I assume is the boss) had to tell them to get up and attend to us.
The one who served us was friendly and patient while we decided what we wanted. We ordered the roast beef sandwich ($ 6.50), Gargiulo Burger ($ 7.70 — such a weird number), cheese fries ($ 4.30), and onion rings ($ 4.50). To be honest, I felt things were a bit pricey for the amount and quality we got. Some of the fries tasted like it wasn’t fried enough and definitely didn’t have enough cheese on it. The onion rings were very hard and dark colored, looked and tasted like it was fried over and over again. Upon taking the first bite, the whole piece of onion comes flying out, leaving you with the rest of the fried part.
The beef sandwich was just okay, nothing special about it. Probably because I forgot to get cheese with it. However, the Gargiulo Burger was quite flavorful from the beef broth that the burger was dipped into. I only asked for it to be dipped once, afraid that the roll would be too soggy. And it had cheese with it, makes it even better.
This is definitely a one time thing, I honestly don’t think I would return if the most commonly ordered things on the menu tasted just okay.

Oily fatty goodness located in Brooklyn. my friend was raving about this place for several months so I decided to finally give this place a try. we ordered their roast beef sandwich (regular and gargiulo), fries and mozzarella sticks. The fries were alright. We loved the mozzarella sticks since it came out fresh. our only complain was that they should have put more cheese inside. There was a generous amount of roast beef on each sandwich. My only regret was not ordering the dip on the side. The sandwich was drenched in dip and it ended up being a bit of messy meal. Don’t forget to bring cash! Their parking lot is a bit small so you might have to look for parking elsewhere.

After 3.5 years of dating, we finally took the big step of going to Brennan & Carr. After going to Roll N Roaster for years, we went to vote and then were nearby, so we stopped in. I followed his lead and got a Beef Plate. So. Much. Food. Rare roast beef sliced thinly, in an au jus broth, served with vegetables and fries or onion rings, with a roll on the side. The beef was tasty, and the au jus was great to sop up with the roll. It looked like a plate that would have been served in 1938! But delish all the same. Service was fast, friendly, and we even chatted to the cashier and waiter for a bit about other Brooklyn «must-​eats». This was very high on my list. Will DEFINITELY be back! CASH ONLY.

Great, this place has its own parking lot, in the middle of Brooklyn.
According to the Brennan & Carr logo printed on the place mat as you are seated at your table, this place has been here since 1938. Unlike virtually any other establishment you buy a roast beef sandwich from, this restaurant has table service. It looks every bit the part. Dark wood furniture and paneling, There is even a fire place.
After all these years, this is our first visit here. This landmark was featured on the Travel Channel in an Adam Richman piece. His hometown is here in Brooklyn, and as pointed out in this program, you oughtta have the signature roast beef sandwich, and it is either dipped or double dipped in the juice (au jus). Me being the over cautious type, I ordered the juice on the side. They serve it to you in a cup, so there is ample juice to go around for the two of us.
I liked the roast beef, it was served on a Kaiser roll. It was tender and not too rare, the way that I happened to like it. I spooned on the juice over the roast beef, just to the texture I wanted it. We also had a white clam chowder and an order of onion rings to go with it. Even the coffee tastes like the type you would have in the olden days, served along side those little white half-​and-​half take out containers.
Would I be a frequenter at this place? Probably not, but I can say I have been to this mainstay.

The famous joint featured on man versus food is a place that in my opinion is good for what it is. I go their on occasion because their is a serious lack of burger joints on Avenue U and it is close by my girlfriends. The burger is very very juice y but also somewhat fatty, the bun gets soaked in oil and blood that the beef to bun ratio of dry to wet beef is meh tasting. The chicken sandwich is just a seared price of chicken on a flat top on a piece of bread. The French fry portion is very small for the price. The burger platter is good due to portion and mixes of veggies, bun, beef and fries. The hot beef sandwich and platter (what they are known for) is good.
The price is a staple but the quality has suffered through time while the prices seemingly went up. Also the cash only stint in 2016 is a bit ridiculous.

I currently have written 245 reviews on Unilocal,and this will be the saddest one I’ve written so far. Never have a felt so let down by a New York icon. B&C may not be «world famous» in the sense that tourists trek out to Nostrand to get a sandwich, but most New Yorkers consider B&C to be a NYC icon. A place that every New Yorker makes a pilgrimage to in order to get the best roast beef sandwich money can buy.
Every so often we come face-​to-​face with a memory so intensely singular that it overshadows every bit of the reality of the experience. The memory becomes a stand-​in for our experience. And this is fine, because letting a perfect memory become a proxy for the imperfections of reality is a wonderful thing. Until something forces you to come to grips and reconcile your memory with reality. And then your Munchausian tower comes crashing down around your ears. And that, my friends, is a very sad thing, indeed.
One afternoon your humble narrator made a reference to Brennan & Carr to his wife, and to his shock and amazement, he learned she had never partaken of the glory of B&C. Clearly, this is a situation that must get fixed! So your humble friend and narrator drove his wife and baby to B&C where he had hoped to recapture the glory of B&C that he remembered from his youth.
Best. Roast-​beef. Sandwich. Evar.
Right? How it pains me to tell you this, oh my brothers. The experience was not that of my childhood, but of something completely different. Call it the reality of my adulthood. Call it the sophisticationization of my tastes. Call it «new management». Call it what you like, but the food was not what I remembered.
New England Clam Chowder: B–
Your run of the mill clam chowder except for one small detail. Way too much cornstarch! When I first tasted the chowder, the first thing I thought was «Man, this is really thick!» The second thought «Why am I not enjoying this?» And the third «What the heck is wrong with the texture?» The problem is that cornstarch (or flour) was not meant to make a thin soup into a chowder, because if you add that much to your soup, it’s going to become more of a strangely textured gloop rather than a chowder. Sadly, this was a gloop. Tasted good. But the texture was really off-​putting.
Roast Beef Sandwich: B–
These sandwiches get served on a fairly nondescript kaiser roll.
Your sandwich can come with cheese (the same faux cheese they put on the cheese fries) or without cheese.
You can get it «dipped» zero, one, two, or three times. This refers to the number of times your sandwich gets dipped into the roast beef au jus. Get it dipped twice and you can still pick the sandwich up. Get it dipped thrice and the bun becomes saturated with the roast beef juice, requiring you to eat it with a knife and fork.
This is the sentence that causes me pain, and is the central theme of this review: The roast beef at B&C is fairly substandard. I guarantee you this. If you take the roast beef out of the beautiful 1930’s era restaurant, hide the fact that it’s «Brennan and Carr roast beef» and slap it down on the counter of a nondescript diner in the middle of Astoria, you wouldn’t give this roast beef the time of day.
The roast beef isn’t tasteless, but it’s not particularly flavorful. The juice (which I suspect is waaaay more beef broth than it is roast beef drippings, IF it actually has roast beef drippings) is what gives the roast beef its flavor. It’s not a tough roast beef, but it’s not exactly a soft roast beef either. Is it garlicky? Nope. Does it have a deep roast beef flavor? Nope. Oniony? Nope. Is the kaiser roll special in any way? Nope.
Sad NYC fact: The roast beef sandwich at Brennan and Carr is average roast beef on an average kaiser roll served with yummy beef broth in a beautiful old-​time restaurant that comes with a quintessential New York cache from being a Brooklyn icon for over 60 years.
Now. Can you please turn around so I can cry in peace?
Cheesy French Fries: B+
Classic case of «sum of the parts is greater than the parts of the sum». The fries are totally bagged frozen. Better than what you get with a Hungryman dinner, but still not worth the calories. The cheese is faux American cheese sauce. Yet the combination is actually pretty good in an oink-​oink snort-​snort «look at me Ima pig» kind of way. I could feel my weight increase with every fry I ate.
Onion Rings: B–
Again, bagged frozen onion rings from the corner store. You know how some onion rings are deliciously oniony? Not these. Can’t taste the onion at all. The breading is good in a frozen supermarket kind of way, but they have overtones of oil that needed changing. I tried them both dipped in roast beef juice and with ketchup. Still not worth the calories.
Gargiulo burger: Special Mention
I didn’t actually eat this, but my step father did. It actually looked like fairly tasty burger.

This was featured on Man vs. Food and we learned about the different kinds of dips that they served with their roast beef:
Beef Dip — Roast Beef dipped into beef broth
Double dip — Roast Beef and bun are dipped into beef broth
Knife and Fork Job — Beef broth is poured over the sandwich
I ordered the Roast Beef Sandwich– well done with grilled onions and the beef broth dip on the side (They didn’t charge extra for the grilled onions and was very generous with the broth dip.) I’m not a big fan of roast beef sandwich but I really like the dip. It was very salty (if tasted alone) but it complement the sandwich really well.
Onion rings — Agreed with Unilocalers, they were very crispy!
Wing dings (Size Small — comes with five wings) — Crispy, nicely seasoned, came with hot sauce and blue cheese, and it instantly became my favorite dish. I would come back for wing dings!!!
Cash only — I loved their antique cash register. It was super cute and reminded me of the good old cafes I used to go in chinatown. From the outside, it didn’t seem pleasant but the inside is nice!
Parking — They do have a parking lot (small) but the spaces are very tight.

I broke my strict doctor-​mandated diet for their roast beef sandwiches, for which I paid the price dearly after but it was worth it. The beef was perfectly cooked with the buns delicately holding all in place, teetering on the brink of falling apart. I took that first bite and was hooked. I savored that sandwich from start to finish with my boyfriend prepared to drive home in a heart beat should I get sick.
Apparently this place was featured on a popular Food Network show but I didn’t know that beforehand. For lack of a better description, the restaurant looked really rad– it’s so old school I think it predates any establishment surrounding it. Worth a visit!

Decent food. I got the roast beef sandwich. It was good. The appetizers I had were average. Mozzarella sticks are just like the ones you can get anywhere. Fries were okay but the cheese sip is good. Portion sizes are pretty big. Also apple pie was good too. Service is ok.

Found this place because of Man Vs Food and it did not disappoint. I had the famous garguilo burger, KFJ style, with onion rings and cheese fries. Employees were really nice and the prices were very reasonable. I will be back for sure!
I went on a Wednesday night and there was no wait!
I didn’t give 5 stars because it’s cash only and the cheese on the fries is more like cheese whiz than nacho cheese.

Cash only is inconvenient but good is tremendous. Good thing banks are nearby.

Brennan & Carr is a classic Brooklyn sandwich establishment. When you come here, you must order the roast beef sandwich with au jus. Regardless of the sandwich you order, Brennan & Carr will pour on the au jus which makes every sandwich super juicy!

We had the gardgiulo burger with the beef broth. It was a hamburger with roast beef and yummy bread. We had the sauce on top and then dipped it for an even juicier bite! I took the top bread that cheese and cooked onions with the roast beef and dipped that bite for an even better bite!

Good old fashioned Brooklyn dining at it’s best!
There’s two things you always order from Brennan and Carr. The roast beef, Dunked of course! and the gargiulo burger. First things first. The Roast Beef. It’s always cooked to perfection. From the second it comes out of the oven to the second it’s on the bread and dipped in the gravy, It just gets better and better. If you have seen Man VS Food, You’ll be able to see how they make everything.
Second thing, the gargiulo burger. Roast Beef with two hamburger patties on it. That’s a dream come true. They also dip that in the gravy and throw some cheese on it. I never order anything else from there. I stick with what I love.
The layout of the restaurant is pretty nice as well. It’s very cozy once you sit down. Order some food, Get a beer and just enjoy your family/​friends (Whoever you happen to be with). It makes you feel like you’re at home and just enjoying yourselves. If you’re in New York and have never been, You need to get on it!

$ 37 for 2 gargulio burgers, roast beef, hot broth and wing dings!
Gargulio burger– very tasty & inventive (unfortunately, some of the melted cheese was stuck to the aluminum foil– maybe the staff should consider using wax paper first, then aluminum foil)
roast beef, hot broth, wing dings– standard– nothing exciting or special.
I will definitely come back once they start accepting credit cards!!! its 2016!!!

This was my first time visiting Brennan & Carr. a warm, cozy little shop in Brooklyn. I felt like I was I update, or in the woods. Very relaxing.
My friend and I both started with a roast beef sandwich, dunked in au jus. The roast beef was awesome. I could have eaten two more sandwiches, and I wish I had. Yum.
We also ordered a side of mozzarella sticks and friend fries. I was disappointed with the fries. They had a good flavor, but were not cooked golden brown. I’m sure it was a one time mistake.
We then ordered the Gargiulo burger double dipped in their famous beef broth with onions. This is a burger topped with sliced roast beef, with onions. A must try.
I would definitely come hear again

Saw this place on an episode of Man VS Food and it turned out it is 5minutes away from home! So happy! The food is simple and incredibly delicious! The gargiulo and the roast beef, yummy! I tried the cheese fries and I was not impressed with those. It is a great place to grab a bite, highly recommended!

Really not much to say. The roast beef is awesome, the fries/​onion rings and everything else I’ve had is great. Its a staple for roast beef in Brooklyn and I highly recommend it. If you get the sandwich double dipped (which is excellent) make sure you have a knife and fork ready to eat it. I’ve had the roast beef sandwiches both ways (dipped and double dipped) and have not been disappointed.

This place was featured on a television show which peaked my interest. I stopped by to see what the hype was all about. Tried their sandwich with single dip. It was good. There is a major competitor in the area that makes a similar type of sandwich (I have not tried). Both places I suppose are trying the emulate the famous Italian Beef style sandwiches found in Chicagoland.
Its an ok sandwich. Not worth a trip out of your way. Service was good.

Came here twice. Both were a year apart. Initially I came with a big group of friends and was offput by the teenage staff that worked here. Thankfully they caught me off guard and provided great service. I got my sandwich single dipped and enjoyed my dinner as I giggled at my male friends who decided to get it double dipped and regretted it very much.
Second time I came here a year after and being in the area we decided to grab some grub here. Service was quick like I remembered BUT the meat in our dishes were way dryer and somewhat lower quality than I remembered. I also asked for single dip again but it seemed like they triple dipped it being how disgustingly soggy and greasy it ended up being.
Good experience the first time but last time not so much. Will probably not be back for awhile.

Oh my so yummy, we ate so fast because we were so hungry after a long doc appointment. I was nervous cuz some reviews were pretty terrible but oh man everything we ordered was delish. (Maybe it’s the hunger + low expectation combo?)
My roast beef, I ordered it with beef broth on the side, as one reviewer mentioned. So good! Beef was a bit dry. Chicken pieces were so small but juicy and crispy and ohhhh I would order again.
Onion rings were super crispy. Next time I’ll get the fries!
Would I come here again? Heck yeah if I was nearby or passing thru but just by principle I don’t drive thru traffic to another borough just to eat. (Each boro has got its own charms and delights and there’s not enough time to even go try all of those!)
I would also go to that Rolls on Roasters or whatever place, esp if I’m looking for something sweet as they have fresh squeezed juices. But after a long day, I just wanted a cozy sit down dinner.
Cozy it was. Like maybe what the 7 Dwarves’ cottage must have looked like.
Service was AWESOME. So helpful and PROMPT.
They didn’t charge us for our beef broth side or our seltzer — oversight or just service for the customer I’m not sure but my husband and I loved our meal here. Super satisfying.
Oh and he had the G burger that is a cheese burger married with roast beef. Soaked in the beef broth/​drippings.
Love! Hope the next time it’s just as good if not better even without us being utterly starving as we were today!

Got the roast beef sandwich with cheese, double-​dipped. In my book, the bar has officially been raised. The broth is what makes it. So beefy and comforting. The bun soaks it up well and I love running my fries in it.
I think Roll-​N-​Roaster is great too, but it can’t hold a candle to this place. I’d give it 5 stars if they change their cash only policy.

Not many restaurants exceed my expectations, but Brennan & Carr really was every bit as good as I thought and more! Having lived in Brooklyn all my life, I had surprisingly never been until now. The hype it received on Food Network’s DDD definitely made me want to try it out more than ever.
First, the décor had a «homey» old-​school feel to it. It felt like I was sitting in my living room just having a simple meal with my girlfriend. The service was excellent. The waiters were very young, but decked out in old white waiter jackets and were right on time when we needed them. They were also very polite. The menu was simple and there weren’t a lot of items to order, but honestly, there were really only a few things we were targeting when we sat down. We ended up ordering the most talked about items we heard about:
Roast Beef Sandwich
Gargiulo Burger
Cheese Fries
Onion Rings
The Roast Beef in the Roast Beef Sandwich and Gargiulo Burger were extremely flavorful. I don’t know what’s in their beef broth, but the roast beef here completely blows away Roll N’ Roasters. I asked for the Gargiulo Burger to be dipped in the broth, so the bread was a bit soggy, but nevertheless it was absolutely delicious. If I had to do it again, I probably wouldn’t have had it dipped though. The fries were thickly cut and good, but I wasn’t a fan of the cheese. It was a bit clumpier than I liked. The Onion Rings were spot on with a good crunchiness on it.
Overall, the food was very good and I really loved the low-​key atmosphere. The restaurant is a bigger than it looks when you step inside. We arrived at around 7pm on a Friday evening and there was plenty of seating, but the place got more and more crowded towards our departure.

The Broth and the Décor
A blast from the past here. Places like this just don’t exist anymore. I think people feel like they have to doll up a restaurant to give it new life and sometimes this just isn’t the case. B&C just does a few items and does them so well that prove just keep going back.
I got a single dipped beef sandwich (with cheese and onions) and a French fry. The place is very dated and the service is bit slow, but who cares. Once that beef sandwich hits the table and you get a taste of that beef broth, you’ll be hooked.
Tip:
Get a single dip, the double is too wet, it’s difficult to eat. I also recommend a side of the beef broth. You literally could drink the stuff, it’s that delicious.
Time warp restaurant with a menu carved I got he wall. How can you beat that? If your in the area you have to try it, by the way it’s about 8 bucks for this big sandwich which is a steal.
Thanks

2.5, almost 3 stars for me. The food is really cheap and filling, but other than that I don’t know why anyone would go out of their way to travel here for a roast beef sandwich. Luckily for us, we were in the area really late at night and starving for food. For a dipped roast beef sandwich, I kind of expected some nice toasted crusty bread with juicy roast beef. Instead, I got really soggy bread with roast beef that had very little flavor. But then again, this sandwich was only $ 6 and they piled the beef on really high. Also, they will only give you cheese and onions if you ask for it.
Here are the possible ways to order the sandwich:
Regular — Bottom bun dipped
Double Dipped — Both buns dipped
KFJ — Knife and fork job, aka whole sandwich dipped
Besides the roast beef sandwich, we ordered a side of wings and mozzarella sticks. The wings come with packets of sauce. The mozz sticks are kind of tiny, but I kind of enjoyed these better than the sandwich itself. They have a pretty tasty and cheap apple pie for anyone who needs something sweet. To reiterate, not a place to travel far to just to get roast beef sandwiches, but good if you’re in the area late at night and need food.

Not for vegetarians.
Brennan & Carr has been around since before World War II and a local institution. When we stopped by on a random Thursday night there were many visitors from out of town as well as locals. This hearty sandwich is a favorite among the area’s cops and firefighters. The restaurant’s décor reminds me of a roast beef version of Peter Luger, wood paneled walls and classic furniture, waiters in white butchers coat.
Roast beef, soft kaiser roll, and au jus sauce: have your sandwich dipped, double dipped, with au jus on the side, or as a knife and fork job. I’d say skip the cheese if you are getting any of the versions with the au jus (there’s already plenty of flavor in the beef broth). The wing dings were okay, and the onion rings looked tasty. While this is not the best beef sandwich I’ve ever had, it definitely holds its own and I understand why Brennan & Carr has been around for over a three quarters of a century.
I’m not from Sheepshead Bay but I will try anything once… I would come back again if I’m in the neighborhood and in the mood for some comfort food. This is not a place to travel to and seek out, but if you are passing by, do stop by and try the roast beef sandwiches — I hear the blueberry pie a la mode is pretty good too :)

I’ve probably passed by Brennan & Carr fifty million times and seen people gotten really great burgers and fries here. So, for once I decided to try it after seeing how great everyone on Unilocal thought it was. Upon entering this short, one-​story brick building, I was greeted and seated immediately. I believe there’s two dining rooms, but each one of them has a very homey feel — the one I was in had a fireplace and was fully decorated almost like a cabin.
The menu is short and simple — mostly meat products, no salads, only veggies are in the roast beef platter. Now, let me tell you — their wings are amazing. They fry them probably twice or something… it’s deliciously crunchy! The clam chowder soup and fries were also great. The only thing (I know I’m going to be questioned for this) I didn’t really like was the roast beef. And yes, I know, it’s the star of the show — but honestly, in the platter it was just too watery for me. The meat was dry, the sauce was more like water, like you know when you’ve washed vegetables and you’ve tried to drain them in the coriander but they’re still wet? The vegetables were definitely canned string beans and baby carrots. So, overall not a fan.
The service was good, setting was nice, place felt clean but honestly a bit small. Also note, cash only.

It’s a Brooklyn institution that has been around close to 80 years. I first saw this place featured on Man v Food a couple of years ago but I thought this place was just OK. I love how the waiters have the white jackets like the way a lot of the old school restaurants used to. The décor is soooooo old school, it looks 80 years old but in a good way. P. S, it’s cash only.
The food:
Gargiulo Burger– Roast beef atop a cheeseburger with sauteed onions. I got my Gargiulo double dipped, the whole sandwich is dipped in the hot broth, and I thought the burger was just OK. For me, I hate soggy bread and the meat was overcooked and slightly grainy. If I lived in the neighborhood I would go back. Overall, it was alright. I did like the Gargiulo over the reg roast beef.
Roast Beef Sandwich– It’s roast beef dipped in the hot broth, then the whole sandwich is dipped in broth. I thought this was OK as well. I thought the beef was kinda lifeless and dry. I wish the au jus and cheese helped, but it didn’t.